Baka Communications: 30 Years of Innovation.

Digital rendering of Fresh City Farms greenhouse to be built on land donated by Baka Communications

Editor's Note: There are three photos associated with this press release.

This month Baka Communications ["Baka"], one of the oldest and largest wireless solutions providers in Canada and leader in the wireless retail space, is celebrating its 30th anniversary. To mark the milestone, this homegrown Canadian company is donating the use of the land outside its corporate offices to urban farmers at Fresh City, in a first of its kind partnership. The land will house a 4,000 square foot greenhouse and surrounding field crops.

"We've always been committed to sustainable business practices that go beyond ROI," said John Marion, President and Founder of Baka Communications. "We use Return On Doing Good, or RODG, as a guiding principle to ensure that we are contributing to healthy communities. This partnership with Fresh City, as a way to celebrate our 30 years in business, does exactly that."

Over the years, Baka's commitment to integrated sustainable practices has become a blueprint for SMB green innovation - the company has been consulted on its "sustainable ecosystem" by McMaster University, The U.S. Marines, and the San Diego Zoo, among others.

Since its inception in 1985, Baka's business model has remained rooted in innovation, and the company has achieved many firsts for Canada and North America. Baka pioneered the retail wireless space: it was the first in North America to open a wireless store-front location in a mall and the first to introduce the store-in-store concept, opening in Walmart and Loblaws. Baka was also the first to design and produce a locally assembled transportable cellular telephone in 1986, and last year, became the first wireless dealer to be PCI compliant, proactively prioritizing the protection of customer information.

Produce grown in the greenhouse and the surrounding field will be available to 1,000 new Fresh City members, as well as the Baka Gallery Cafe kitchen. The plot of land is estimated to produce 20,000 lbs of locally-grown, organic produce per year, delivered with 75 per cent less CO2 emissions than "conventional" food sources. The company wants to set an example to other organizations, and to the younger generation about the importance of being sustainable and reducing our carbon footprint.

"We're looking forward to this partnership with Baka and the opportunity it presents for us to continue farming fresh, organic groceries right in the city," said Ran Goel, CEO and Founder, Fresh City. "It takes land to grow food, and with real estate so expensive in Toronto this is an enormous help to us."

This isn't the first time Baka has gone above and beyond to maintain its commitment to a sustainable, progressive way of doing business. In 2012, Baka installed the first and largest solar plug-in canopy in North America in its office parking lot located just off Highway 427 at Rathburn Road. The 20kW system has nine electric vehicle (EV) charging stations and is available for public use, free of charge. The energy used to charge the EVs is 100 per cent green and is truly zero emission. Any unused energy is fed back to the local grid, supporting the community that has housed Baka's head office for nearly 15 years.

In addition to its wireless line of business, Baka also provides turn-key solutions through its fleet management platform. Fleet Freedom® is a fully integrated web-based solution that allows companies to manage mobile fleets, dispatch, and communicate with employees, and manage daily operations. Added to the Baka Group of Companies in 2004, Fleet Freedom® was one of the first companies in North America to start using mobile device location based services. It revolutionized how businesses are able to increase efficiency, reduce idle time and track employee driving habits, leading them down a greener, more socially responsible business path.

"Innovation has always been our passion, and the backbone of our business," said Marion. "We've been able to recognize what customers want, and that has kept us motivated to build solutions they can rely on, addressing their primary needs - freedom, choice, and security."

About Baka Communications

Baka Communications is a forward-looking, Canadian SMB that provides wireless and business solutions that deliver on consumer needs, while remaining rooted in business innovation and a proven commitment to sustainability. Established in 1985, Baka is of the oldest and largest wireless solutions providers in Canada.

Baka partners with its customers to solve their business challenges with secure and reliable choices. The company has been recognized with numerous awards including Live Green Awards 2014: Corporate Winner, CanSIA for the Game Changer Award 2015: Solar Adopter, and is currently nominated for the Canadian Museum of Nature 2015 Nature Inspiration Awards in the corporate division.

Baka's sister company, Fleet Freedom® is one of the leading providers of solutions in the AVL/GPS tracking and fleet management industry. Fleet Freedom® provides businesses with the tools that are needed to be safe, efficient and responsive to today's increasing industry demands.

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